New Growth

This camera has been in the Fish Lake area for the last month and I braved the deer flies to see what was on the card. Only a couple deer and a work crew came by during that time. I am always amazed at the number of people who pass by such out of the way and inhospitable locations.
Dale

A Short Rest

There are a variety of uses of trails in Fish Lake WA. Occasionally it is used as a phone booth, albeit temporarily. In addition to the usual wildlife this young man was captured on the trail cam.
Dale

Bobcats and Butterflies

When I set this camera up last week it was 70 degrees, I was in my t-shirt, and butterflies were dancing along the trail. Yesterday the wind chill was in the low 20's, there was snow on the ground, and I had three layers on to keep warm. One of my biggest fears with trail cams is theft or vandalism so I usually place the cameras where their is little anticipated human activity. Boy was I wrong this time! In addition to a fisher, raccoon, several porcupines, a couple deer, and this bobcat there was a group on horseback (illegally) and a couple guys in knee boots. The good news is the camera was not molested. The best news is this bobcat stopped for a photo. The wood planks are 2 by 6's and give a sense of size to the bobcat. Earlier in the year one was harvested by hunters and this one moved into the vacated area about a month ago.
Dale

Happy New Year!

We share a number of traits with animals, fortunately most of the shared traits are not a requirement for our survival. I am sure this deer could smell something that reminded it of food and was not just curious about the little box on the tree. Over the years our curiosity can be blunted or even lie dormant. On the other hand it can be a trait the makes the world alive each day. May your curiosity be rekindled in 2011.
Dale

Wandering Bear

This young bear came through Crex this spring. I have been trying to find its origin since photographing it. No one in MN or WI is missing a bear except maybe Fort Ripley in MN. The researcher there was missing a couple collared bears when I talked to him this summer. If this is a Wisconsin bear it might come Stevens Point or from a research project that is no longer operational. Dave MacFarland who leads the bear studies in Wisconsin has seen the photos and talked to researchers but has had no luck identifying the collared bear's researcher. That leaves the likelihood that it may have wandered 90 air miles to Crex from Ft. Ripley.

Perhaps it will be around next year or the collar will be found.
Dale

Wolves and Deer

I have been watching this doe and 2 fawns for the last six months on a trail cam positioned at a wolf scent marking location. On multiple occasions the deer and wolves pass the camera within hours of each other. A red fox has also had the audacity to leave its mark at the scent post, a very brave guy given wolves known antagonism toward foxes. Because of the recent freezing rain the camera was covered in ice and had to be pulled for a few days. Wolves are now patrolling the roads and two were seen this week on Hickerson Rd. on Fish Lake Wildlife Area.

With the onset of winter and conclusion of hunting season I hope to place cameras at various locations with the goal of getting new species such as a bobcat and better fisher images (if only they would hold still).
Dale

A new wolf pack

Last week a new pack arrived at the scent post. A pack of seven wolves that had not previously been seen arrived in force. What happened to the other pack? The black wolf of the previous pack was euthanized a couple weeks ago because of blindness and close human contact. At this point it is not known whether a necropsy will be done. The wolf encyclopedia by Mech, et al lists blastomycosis as a cause of blindness. Given the appearance of the animal over the summer months this may very well be the case, if it is this is an isolated illness which probably will not affect the pack.

Did 7 new animals arrive? I don't think so, my guess is when the previous pack of 4 lost a member it was unable to defend its territory and two of the members joined a pack of five led by the mottled alpha male. This would account for the bewildered appearing previous alpha appearing at the scent post the day after the new pack left its calling card; pure speculation of course.

The wolf survey this winter could be interesting if the pack stays in the area.
Dale

Recent Wolf Images

The scent post trail cam was checked after a month with several interesting captures of wolves, cranes, and deer. Two wolves came through during daylight and their summer coat is a marked contrast to the winter one. A pair of them marked the scent post one night. This pair wolves firmly established their territory by marking this small oak bush. The sequence is interesting with what appears to be the female waiting for the male to mark first; age before beauty? I don't know enough about wolf behavior to interpret this behavior. My style is to shoot first and ask questions later. For the last several months only 3 wolves were beeing seen in the pack and it appears the pack is back to four animals: a brown, a black, and two grays. If there are pups maybe they will be brought to the scent post for a portrait shoot.
Dale

Trail Cam Surprise

My weekly card exchange on the trail cams had the expected wolves and this cat. There were bobcat tracks at the rest area a year ago but I think this is one of the few images of one. It posed for 5 seconds and moved on. It's a nice to see one passing through, a breeding pair to add to the nearly complete Crex ecosystem would be even better. However, birders may not be too excited to have another nest predator.

Dale

What is he doing?

After being gone for three weeks I am back for a week and one of the first tasks was checking trail cams. This camera was set up in our backyard to record ruff grouse drumming times so I could set up a blind and record in HD. A variety of visitors were recorded including a red squirrel, gray fox, several deer, a ruff grouse drumming, and this porcupine. This video must represent a scent marking behavior although it is only a guess. As a photographer recording behaviors I am constantly reminded how little I know about the animal world which keeps me coming back to time and again to film new material.

Dale

Fisher Portrait

I checked my trail cam yesterday and found this fisher had posed for it. There were over 200 raccoon shots during the 10 days it was set up, most were butt shots and deleted. The fisher is a resident of hardwood and conifers so not common on Crex proper but common (and elusive) in suitable habitat on Fish Lake and along the St. Croix where this camera was set up. As with so many predators it is more active at night and eats a variety of foods, dead or alive. According to eNature it enjoys porcupines, I'd love to come upon a fisher killed porcupine.

On a side note, the hawk owl is still present in the same area but perches high on a pine tree so a little harder to spot.

And then there were three

The trail cams were checked this morning. One was completely empty with fox tracks going past it. I must have forgotten to turn it on. These raccoons were active on the 22nd. The bugs seem to be worked out on the HD video trail cam so hope to get some decent video when it is set up. I was almost ready to send it in again but replaced the batteries and it's working perfect. Now to find a good location and willing actors.

The most activity on Crex was on the W. Refuge Rd with a couple dozen sharptails in the trees near the west refuge gate. Only a couple wolf tracks were seen in the same area. With a full move tonight I hope they will be active and photogenic. No sign of the hawk owl this morning but it may not have been hunting in the -18 degree dawn.

Dale

Crex Nightlife

A trail cam was set up near one of the culverts to see if anything would come to the nearby open water. Over the course of a week these raccoons, a mink, an otter, and red fox visited. The animals notice the bright red flash but seem to react in a variable fashion, the otter was the most distracted by it and the raccoons are very curious. A video trail cam is currently in the same location and we'll see what happens over the next week or so.

Dale

Nervous Coyotes

Nervous Coyotes from Dale Bohlke on Vimeo.

This is the best look I have had at these elusive animals. As you can see they are on high alert, even in the middle of the night. There seem to be more coyote tracks this winter than in the past, perhaps I am just recognizing them after taking the tracking class in December. Based on early morning tracks the night is alive with predators. As you can see in the video they have learned to avoid anything associated with man.

Dale